


What Luz heard

by aces_low



Series: drabbles and ish [13]
Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Unrequited Love, sort of...in a sweet way
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-29
Updated: 2017-05-29
Packaged: 2018-11-06 05:26:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11029563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aces_low/pseuds/aces_low
Summary: Luz overhears a big confession





	What Luz heard

**Author's Note:**

> For the prompt of finding out someone is in love indirectly while they're talking to someone else.

Luz wakes up comfortable and warm. He’s going to have to ask Joe where he bought his mattress. The last few weeks, sleeping on it, has been some of the best sleep of his life.

He feels bad for stealing it from Joe, but he had insisted and refused to trade spots on the couch with Luz.

Speaking of Joe, the sound of muffled voices out in the living room makes him realize that Joe must be awake, and has another visitor. Luz rolls himself out of bed, and just barely has the bedroom door open when he recognizes the other voice as Bill’s.

“He’s sleeping with you now?” Bill’s incredulous tone comes from the couch where he’s sitting.

Luz closes the door enough so that he can only just see what is going on in the living room.

“He’s not ‘sleeping with me’,” Joe’s quieter voice comes from somewhere Luz can’t see. Then a moment later he appears from the kitchen, holding a mug out to Bill. “He’s sleeping in my bed, I’m sleeping on the couch. There’s a difference.”

Luz can’t make out Joe’s face, but from what he can see of Bill’s, he doesn’t look convinced.

“Is he gonna start paying rent?”

Joe scoffs. “He’s only gonna be here for a couple weeks.”

“And you’re driving him to work every morning?”

“He doesn’t have a car yet, and it’s on my way,” Joe argues, but even Luz thinks it sounds like an excuse.

It’s not that he hasn’t been aware that he’s been putting Joe out, staying with him while he finds his own place. But Joe has been insistent that he’s not been bothering him, and Joe is usually pretty good about telling people when they’re bothering him.

“Joe, you know I like Luz, but it seems like he’s takin’ advantage of you here.”

Joe stalks back to the kitchen, so his voice becomes a little more muffled, and Luz opens the door a little more so he can hear.

“He’s not taking advantage of me. I offered. I’m the one who convinced him to take this new job and move here. I’m just trying to help out.”

Bill gets up and moves so he’s standing in the doorway of the kitchen, and Luz opens the door just a little more.

“I get that, Joe, but you’re kind of going above and beyond here.”

“Please, like you weren’t constantly doing shit like this when you first fell in love with Fran.”

Luz feels the air get knocked out of his lungs, and he leans forward, afraid he’ll miss something.

It’s quiet for nearly a minute, except for the sound of clinking and the refrigerator door opening and closing.

“ _What_?” Bill finally seems to find the words.

“What?”

“What did you just say?”

“Don’t tell me you don’t remember how crazy you got,” Joe says, seeming completely unaware of Bill’s - and Luz’s - shock.

Bill backs up a couple steps as Joe tries to get past him out of the kitchen, holding another mug of coffee, and Luz quickly moves the door back to looking closed. Joe doesn’t get far out of the kitchen before Bill puts a hand on his shoulder.

“You know that you just implied that you’re in love with Luz, right?”

Joe steps away from Bill’s touch. “I-what?”

“You compared yourself to when I fell in love with Frannie. Are…are you in love with Luz?”

“I didn’t-” Joe starts to argue, but apparently Bill gives him a look, because he stops and lets his shoulders sag.

“Okay, tell Ol’ Guarnere what’s goin’ on,” Bill says, moving back over to the couch, leaving a spot for Joe to sit.

Joe sighs then follows Bill, sitting down next to him on the couch, setting the mug on the coffee table.

“I don’t know what to do, Luz doesn’t even know I have any kind of feelings for him.”

“Uh, this may seem obvious, but maybe just tell him?”

Luz wants to tell Joe to listen to Bill, that he should absolutely tell him.

But Joe shakes his head. “I can’t do that yet, man. I’ve gotta wait ‘til he’s more settled at his job, ya know, and once he finds his own place.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want him to feel like he’s got some kind of obligation to me when I tell him. He’s relying on me a lot right now, I don’t want to put him in some kind of position he doesn’t want to be in because he doesn’t feel like he has a choice.”

Bill shifts a little. “Maybe you shouldn’t have made him rely on you so much.”

“I know, I know. I just…I wanted him to move here, and I wanted to help him out. I wasn’t ever planning on feeling…ya know. It’s just these past few weeks have been nice and…I’m an idiot.”

“Yeah, but that’s just kind of what being in love is, I think,” Bill tells him with a chuckle.

Joe nods and shifts a little on the couch, the movement gives Luz a clear line of sight on Bill whose eyes meet his dead on and widen just a fraction.

Luz quickly jumps back from the door and curses to himself.

His heartbeat picks up as he listens for Bill to tell Joe that he doesn’t have to worry about telling him anymore. Only, he doesn’t hear anyone say anything for a few minutes, and he lets himself calm back down a little.

“Ya know,” Bill finally speaks up again. “I think I’m gonna get going actually. Thanks for the coffee.”

“Really?” Joe asks, clearly confused as to why Bill would come for such a short visit.

“Yeah, I’ve got lots of stuff to do today. And, I really think you should talk to Luz. He might understand more than you think.”

Luz takes that as his cue to get back into bed, to try and pretend he hasn’t heard a word anyone has said.

He hears a muffled version of what he’s sure is the two men saying goodbye, and just a couple minutes later there’s a light knock on the door.

“Luz?” Joe asks, poking his head through the still slightly open door.

Luz slowly lifts his head up off the bed.

“Hey, sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up,” Joe says, he’s holding the mug that he’d had before.

“You didn’t, I was just kind of dozing,” Luz assures him.

Joe smiles. “I made you some coffee,” he tells him, holding the mug out for him.

Luz takes the mug - it’s prepared the exact way that Luz likes it, the exact way Joe has made it for him every morning since he got here - and hides his smile against the porcelain. There’s warmth flooding through his chest, and it’s definitely not because of the coffee.

“I’m gonna make breakfast, so just let me know if you have any requests,” Joe says, stepping back toward the door.

Luz nods and Joe leaves him again. He takes another sip, and then a breath, getting himself mentally prepared for the talk that they definitely need to have.

If only so that Luz can finally grab him and kiss him the way he’s always wanted.


End file.
